you have to have skip in the game, i know it's a cliche, but if you're not there present, then the asians question extraordinarily why you're going to come in when the stakes get much higher, and they don't even need to think out to the existential question of soviet -- chinese icbms just hoping for the good old days hoping things were much clearer, chinese icbms raining down on them and does the nuclear umbrella still hold? as you point out, we've already been doing offshore balancing even while being present because we've had the filipinos, the japanese come to us in these territorial disputes and say are you backing us up, and what are you doing? the administration's response has been we take no position on sovereignty issues, we want to see the status quo maintained, but it's up to you to solve it. now i think, ironically, the right position. it's not for us to defend ya pap's territory, but it is for us to understand how the balance of power in the region is changing, and by not reacting we are changing the actions of our allies. and china in each of theser the tore call disputes has